It's Saturday afternoon. It's about, what, 2.30. I'm here at the Dan Ryan Woods.

Hey, it's Curious City editor Alexander Solomon. And what you're hearing is our new reporter,

Adriana Cardona Maggiagad, braving the very cold temps this past weekend to do some reporting out at the Dan

Ryan Woods Forest Preserves on Chicago's southwest side.

I see a couple people sledding out there.

And when I say braving, I really mean that.

I don't know about all of you, but I don't love Chicago winters.

In fact, I find facing the cold, digging the car out after a big snowstorm,

the shorter days, all kind of stressful. Especially this winter, with all the additional stressors

brought on with the ongoing pandemic and the recent surge of the Amacron virus, and apparently

I'm not the only one. In fact, that's the question that Adriana is going

to help us answer this episode. How are Chicagoans coping with the stress of winter?

Honestly, it took me a while to leave my house. You know, it's so gray.

That and more, just ahead.

The sun isn't out. You know, you're just going to want to stay home. I kept finding things to do at home before coming out.

If you're already a WBEZ member, thank you. Right now, you have the power to do even more. If every

high fidelity member increase their monthly gift by just $3 or more,

together we could fully replace the $3 million in federal funding that's currently at risk.

Your increased support will help offset that potential loss and keep this people-powered newsroom thriving for years. Start or increase your monthly gift by $3 today at wbec.org slash donate.

Planet money helps you understand the economy.

We find the people at the center of the story.

Garbage in New York, that was like a controlled substance.

...